The key figures of the Japanese GP

The Japanese GP gave us a strategic race, with little excitement and few overtakes on track, but it featured a standout performance by one man: Max Verstappen. The Dutchman was back to his best form, but had to watch as young Kimi Antonelli snatched two historic records for precocity from him—one of them by just three days.

On the up

Max Verstappen delivered a masterclass that showed exactly why he's a four-time world champion—and proved that this year, even without the best car, he's going to fight to the very end against the two McLarens, who are solidifying their strength race after race.

He began paving the way to victory on Saturday by securing an unexpected pole position—his first since the 2024 Austrian GP—by just two thousandths of a second over Norris, nailing the perfect lap on the fast Suzuka circuit.

But that pole had to be converted into a win, and that's exactly what he did—holding off Norris and Piastri’s McLarens, who couldn’t capitalize on their technical superiority to overtake him. His mastery in tire management and pinpoint precision through the final chicane were key in defending the lead.

With this win, his first of the season, Verstappen is now just one point behind Lando Norris in the championship and reaffirms his brilliance at the wheel of an RB21 that seems tailor-made just for him.

On the down

If Verstappen was the bright side, the downside was his new teammate, Yuki Tsunoda. The Japanese driver made his debut in front of his home crowd as an official Red Bull driver, after the team decided to bench Liam Lawson after just two races—he failed to meet expectations.

In qualifying, he couldn't make it past Q2 and set the 15th fastest time, outperformed by the very man he replaced—Lawson—who was driving the more modest Racing Bulls. In the race, Tsunoda could only manage 12th place, far from the points.

Even so, F1 fans voted him Driver of the Day, though not even Tsunoda himself was satisfied with his performance.

Driver of the Day

One is Dutchman Max Verstappen—for obvious reasons. Without having the best car, he showed his best form with total control over the race. The other is Oscar Piastri. The Australian showed stronger pace than his teammate Norris at Suzuka, pushing him all the way to the end. His third-place finish not only strengthens McLaren's lead in the Constructors' Championship but also establishes him as a serious title contender: he’s now just 13 points behind the leader—his teammate Norris—and has moved ahead of Russell in the standings.

The Surprise

He’s been impressing since the start of the season, but Mercedes’ young rookie Kimi Antonelli once again surprised with his composure on track and raw speed.

At just 18 years and 224 days old, he leaves the Japanese GP with two records for precocity, both taken from none other than Max Verstappen: youngest driver to set the fastest lap in a race, and youngest to lead a Formula 1 Grand Prix. He beat Verstappen’s record from the 2016 Spanish GP, when the Dutchman was 18 years and 227 days old—just three days older than the Italian.

Verstappen still holds the record as the youngest race winner in history at 18 years and 228 days, and Suzuka was Antonelli’s last chance to break it. With a sixth-place finish and an impressive display behind the wheel, he is undoubtedly a driver to watch—both now and, especially, in the future.

The Disappointment

Beyond individual performances, the race itself was somewhat underwhelming in terms of on-track excitement.

A lack of overtakes among the front-runners, similar strategies across the grid, no rain, and minimal tire degradation turned the GP into a static procession of positions. There were only four overtakes among the top ten, and the podium finished in the exact same order as the starting grid.

Consistency Award

George Russell once again earns this distinction. The British driver, with his fifth-place finish, scored points for the third race in a row and holds onto fourth place in the Drivers' Championship. His consistency—along with that of his teammate Antonelli, who could also be considered for this podium—stands in contrast to Ferrari’s ongoing inconsistency, as the team continues to struggle to find its footing early in the season.

The third spot on this "consistency podium" goes to the McLaren team. While they didn’t secure a win despite having the most dominant car on the grid, both of their drivers finished second and third—cementing their position as clear leaders in the Constructors' Championship.